see you later.

Late Friday night, our closest friends in the Army- The Cartiers- came to visit us at Fort Bragg. They are PCSing to Japan this month and were gracious enough to fit us into their extremely packed final weeks in the US! We were so thrilled to get one more day with them, before their three year stint abroad.

We spent Saturday morning in our pajamas doing what we do best- the adults (minus Andy, who had to work) ate chocolate chip banana pancakes and guzzled coffee, while the kids ran around and scream-laughed non-stop. By noon, we were all showered and dressed, so we walked down to the park to let the kids play until Andy got home. Once he linked up with us, we went downtown for lunch at The Blue Moon Cafe– AWESOME sandwiches and paninis, not-as-awesome 30 minute wait for our food. (My roast chicken and brie with balsamic reduction panini was blissful; Andrew and I will definitely be going back!)

The rest of the afternoon was spent meandering through the Airborne and Special Operations Museum in downtown Fayetteville. Madeline snoozed in the Becco, but only because she was exhausted from all the hard playing with her buddies. The museum was really well done! We could have spent hours reading all the information and checking out the exhibits. (Andrew is already talking about going back!) After a brief photo shoot in front of the museum (Chris’ favorite part), we ended the day at Sweet Frog for a sweet snack before our friends got back on the road.

Aunt Iris and Madeline stop to smell the roses.

Madeline and her favorite Japan-bound family!

Although she looks sad, Maddie is actually very happy here.

Me and Caroline, being our fabulous selves in front of the rose bushes!

Me, Iris and Caroline in front of the Airborne and Special Operations Museum.

Are they not the cutest little family you’ve ever seen!?

Saying goodbye is never easy for me, even if it is just a good old Army “see you later.” I laughed. I cried. We hugged. I cried. We waved as they drove away. And then we went inside, and I cried some more.

So much will happen over the next three years. By they time they return home, Sean will be a teenager and in high school. Madeline will be four. There may even be another mini-Wilhelm in the mix by then. But I know our friendship won’t miss a beat. Get ready for some Skype dates, Cartiers! We love you!

^^ I don’t want to cause confusion- I really do love your green shirt. The sarcasm was stemming from my butchering of the English language. The people-pleaser in me needed to clarify that for you, even though you already knew what I was saying.